Disclaimer: I own basically nothing in this fic, except this specific plot, and the Fuffer and the Color-Changing Concoction. Harry Potter and all related characters belong to the Almighty Goddess JK Rowling and the first line of the love letter was borrowed from A Garfield Christmas.
Love Letters
Later that night he was lying awake in his dormitory, still furious. How dare that filthy little Mudblood touch him? Not only was she a Muggle-born, she was nosy, and an insufferable know-it-all. She had teeth like a horse and her hair was bushy. She... He went on listing Granger's faults until he fell asleep, not the least of which was that she hung around with riffraff like Potter and Weasley. He had a very strange dream...
It wasn't the plot that made it strange...just a review of Granger hitting him...but everything was in slow motion and everything but Granger was hazy. He saw her running at him, eyes glinting passionately in her anger-he'd never really liked brown eyes but hers were remarkably pretty-hair flying back with her motion, not looking at all bushy...then she reached out to slap him and he saw how smooth the skin on her hands was, and how her nails were beautifully shaped-then she slapped him and he woke up.
***
He didn't know what to do; now he realized that he had always liked her but hadn't let himself accept it. He couldn't tell her- aside from the fact that she hated him, the Slytherins and Gryffindors had been enemies for as long as anyone could remember. He sighed. Not only that, he couldn't express his affections for her. Every time he got near her- or almost anyone else for that matter- he lashed out. He couldn't help it.
He hadn't exactly had a happy home life. His father was always angry at someone or other, and tended to take it out on him and his mother, who was never very expressive. Consequently, he had never been loved, and so didn't know how to love someone else. That, he realized, was part of what attracted him to Hermione. She was so caring and loyal. But even if he could tell her, she wouldn't be interested in a guy like him. He hid behind insults and swagger, but he actually didn't think much of himself.
Then he had an idea. Could he tell her how he felt if he didn't have to speak to her? He grabbed a piece of parchment and a quill and ink bottle, then headed to the library to do some reading.
He sauntered casually over to the section he wanted and skimmed over the titles. He didn't know where else to go to get inspiration, but if anyone saw him here...
***
He hurried up to the Owlery, looking for an owl to carry his letter. He couldn't use Prometheus- she'd recognize him and know who had sent the letter. So he needed one of the school owls. Ah, there! Perfect! He gave his parchment to the large tawny owl. "Give this to Hermione tomorrow at breakfast," he told it, and gave it a bit of feed. The owl hooted in acknowledgement.
He ran down the stairs from the Owlery. Now it was done. He couldn't lose his nerve and decide to forget the whole thing. Now whatever would happen, would happen. He didn't need to worry. Then why was he so nervous?
***
At breakfast that morning, Hermione looked up reflexively as the owls swooped in, though she wasn't expecting a letter. She was surprised when a large tawny owl she had never seen before dropped a letter by her plate. She gave the owl a bit of her corn muffin, then looked at the letter. She quickly blushed, and stuffed it back in the envelope before anyone could see it.
"What's up?" Harry asked, noting her strange expression. "Oh n-nothing," Hermione stammered quickly. "Just a letter from my parents. They must have mailed it in Diagon Alley." Harry exchanged a look with Ron, not quite satisfied with this explanation, but let it be.
Draco had been waiting impatiently for the morning's Owl Post. He saw his owl swoop onto the Gryffindor table and deliver its letter. He saw Hermione glance at it and blush, then cram it back into the envelope and start talking to Potter. He smiled, a smile quite different from his normal smirk that would have puzzled Hermione had she seen it. His plan was in motion.
***
Up in her dorm, Hermione stared at the letter. Who could have sent it? She didn't recognize the handwriting and it had no signature. She was glad of that. If it had been signed Your Secret Admirer she'd have known it was a joke. But now she wasn't sure. It was nowhere near Valentine's Day, and she had no clue who could have sent it. Well, that wasn't quite true. She did know who it wasn't from. Neither Harry nor Ron thought of her that way and both had seemed too confused by her reaction to the letter. She knew they weren't that good actors. She read it again-
My dearest Hermione,
If the sea were of ink and the sky parchment I could not begin to write my love for you. I cannot think about you without my heart skipping a beat. You are the most beautiful and spirited girl I have ever known. You are the only thing I ever think about. I love you beyond belief.
She put it under her pillow, still wondering who had sent it, and fell asleep.
***
The next day she got another letter from the same owl. "Who keeps sending you all these letters?" Ron asked. "Oh, my parents told me in the last letter that they got an owl so I could write to them during school." Hermione said. She had thought out an explanation of what to say in case she got another letter and now was glad she had. "Aren't you going to open it?" Harry inquired. "Oh, no we have Potions today. I'll read it after class- I'll need something to cheer me up." Harry and Ron went back to their debate about Quidditch and she relaxed. She didn't notice Malfoy staring at her from the Slytherin table.
"If I get any more letters, deliver them to me here after breakfast," she told the owl and it nipped her finger gently to show it understood. Harry and Ron would be even more suspicious if she continued to get letters every day at breakfast. This way she wouldn't have to keep coming up with excuses.
***
It was a good thing she did, because Draco wrote her four more love letters, each one as charming as the first. She stayed at the breakfast table in the Great Hall, and was almost late for Potions twice.
"Sorry I'm late Professor I-" "I don't want your flimsy excuses!" Snape barked. "Ten points from Gryffindor!" All the Gryffindors, including Hermione, glared at Snape, so Hermione didn't notice Draco wince- he knew why she had been late. He didn't want her to get in trouble, but he didn't know what to do. The Potions class was normal, with the single exception of Snape taking fifty points off Gryffindor when Neville messed up his Color-Changing Concoction and turned Dean Thomas into a purple turtle.
Draco knew he couldn't let Hermione get in trouble because of him. He took a deep breath as he made his decision. This wasn't going to be easy, but it had to be done. He would tell her after class.
***
"Hey! Granger!" he yelled to her. She stopped her discussion with Potter and Weasley, saw who it was, and told them to go to Transfiguration. "But Hermione..." Ron protested. "No 'buts' Ron," she said. "I can take care of myself." Ron looked as if he wanted to protest again, but Harry murmured "She's right," and he reluctantly turned down the corridor to Transfiguration, remembering how strict McGonagall was about punctuality.
"What do you want, Malfoy?" Hermione growled at Draco meanwhile, in a tone that would make a werewolf back up. "Going to call me 'Mudblood' again?"
Draco stood there for a moment, took a deep breath and said "My dearest Hermione, if the sea were of ink and the sky parchment I could not begin to write my love for you. I cannot think about you without my heart skipping a beat. You are the most beautiful and spirited girl I have ever known. I love you beyond belief."
All during this speech Hermione stood as if she had been turned to stone. She immediately recognized the words as belonging to the first of her love letters. She hadn't told anyone about them, and there was no way a Slytherin could get into the Gryffindor common room. That could only mean...NO!!
She ran away, tears in her eyes, and so didn't see the look on Draco's face. He had hoped...but who had he been trying to kid? She wasn't interested in a nothing like him. He knuckled his eyes, and trudged off to Herbology.
***
Hermione sat through Transfiguration as if in a dream, and her brown mouse-which she was supposed to be turning into a cotton ball-only turned white. "Honestly Hermione, what is the matter with you today?" asked Professor McGonagall after she was unable to rememer the charm for turning a beetle into a button and Neville did. "Nothing, Professor" she said. "I'm just tired I suppose." Thankfully, the bell rang just then and she was able to get away.
***
She went to the only place she could have privacy- Moaning Myrtle's bathroom- and cried. She had actually thought someone liked her...and it had been Malfoy all along. This was low, even for him! How could he be so cruel?
While Hermione was crying in the bathroom, Draco was crying in his dormitory. He had thought that if she saw he could be nice when he tried... But he really had expected this. What could he have done by his letters besides increase the shock? He was such a fool to think that he had ever had a chance with her!
***
Hermione was careful to avoid Malfoy for the rest of the week. However they had Potions with the Slytherins on Thursday and there was nothing she could do. She set up her cauldron as far away from him as possible, and was soon joined by Harry and Ron.
Malfoy gazed wistfully at Hermione. "If you would care to stop daydreaming and join the rest of the class, Mr. Malfoy!" Snape said icily. Draco quickly focused on the Professor, his ears burning, as all the Gryffindors laughed-all but Hermione, he couldn't help but notice. She glanced at him quizzically and he quickly looked away.
***
The next day, in Care of Magical Creatures. Hagrid showed them a creature like a large pale yellow bird with a pig's snout. Its only remarkable feature was several feathers sticking straight out from the sides of its head, which were turning slowly from green to turquoise, and back again. "This 'ere's a Fuffer," Hagrid told them. "The feathers on their 'eads change color with the mood of the person nearest teh them. They aren' easy teh fool- they know what yer really feelin' even if yeh try teh project summat else. Yer job teday is teh see if yeh can fool 'em. There aren' enough fer ever'body teh have one, so yeh'll have teh partner up."
Hermione moved automatically toward Harry, while Seamus and Dean glanced at one another. "One other thing," Hagrid added. "The Headmaster thinks the rivalry 'tween Gryffindor and Slytherin's gettin' a mite strong, so yer gonna pair up with someone from t'other House." At this everybody started shouting in indignation. Hagrid paid no attention, bellowing out the pairs over the din, from a list he had in his hand. "Millicent an' Neville." Neville moved slowly towards the huge Slytherin girl, looking terrified. "Ron an' Goyle." Ron looked disgusted, but moved towards Goyle.
So it continued. "Dean an' Crabbe... Pansy an' Seamus...Harry an' Blaise" ...and finally "Malfoy an' Hermione."
"Oh, no!" they thought at the same time. Draco was especially terrified because he took special care never to show his emotions, and every time he got near Hermione... Numbly, he took the chart Hagrid was handing out, with the meanings of the colors, and walked toward a pale blue Fuffer. Hermione followed him, looking revolted. Sure enough, as soon as he got near the Fuffer, its transparent feathers turned a pink so dark it was almost red.
Hermione looked boredly at her sheet- then did a doubletake. Impossible! Malfoy was somehow projecting an emotion he didn't feel...teasing her again... She ran over to the Fuffer and the feathers turned from dark pink-the color of affection bordering on love- to black. Malfoy didn't even need to look at his sheet to know that she was outraged. He backed away...in the process coming nearer to the Fuffer than Hermione. Immediately the feathers turned a deep blue tinged with yellow. He was scared, and crestfallen.
Hermione noted the change and looked at him. "What's wrong with you?" she asked, surprisingly gently. "Nothing!" he snapped, as the feathers turned orange, infuriatingly showing his embarrassment. "Why are you embarrassed?" she asked. "I'm not." "Yes, you are."
Malfoy sighed. There was no way to avoid this. "Well, you remember those letters?" A dark look crossed Hermione's face. "Yes." He said nothing. Hermione's mouth opened as realization dawned. "You mean you really...you weren't...Oh my God, I'm sorry!"
"It's all right," he said gloomily. "I never expected..." "No, it's not," she said firmly. "If I had had any idea...but you never..." "Of course I didn't! Do you think I wanted my house to turn against me, and Potter and Weasley to put a hex on me?"
Hermione nodded. "This is going to take some getting used to..." His face fell. "...but I think I could learn to like you." she finished. She looked around. They were some distance away from the other grouups...who were busy with their Fuffers. Hagrid was talking to Seamus, whose Fuffer was snorting and zipping rapidly back and forth through the spectrum. Hermione stepped into Draco's arms and kissed him softly on the mouth. It quickly grew more intense, and their Fuffer started snorting anxiously as its feathers turned bright crimson.
They broke. His hair was mussed and her eyes wild. Both were flushed. "Yes, I definitely think I could learn to like you," Hermione said, smiling.